An overview of Beach Vacations in Egypt

Despite Egypt's ancient allure, today the country probably attracts more beach vacationers than any other type of tourists. This is because, for many Europeans, the warm Egyptian beaches are both inexpensive and well appointed. Many European countries lack warm beaches and the alternatives to Egypt are somewhat expensive. Therefore, not only do people come to Egypt's beaches independently, but many arrive by way of chartered airlines that specialize in such vacations from Europe. Depending on how one looks at it, Egypt can be said to have as many as seven beach zones. These consist of the Mediterranean beaches along the mainline coast from the Suez Canal over to Libya, the Mediterranean beaches along the northern Sinai, the Sinai coast along the Gulf of Aqaba, the Sinai coast along the Gulf of Suez, the southern Sinai region which opens onto the Red Sea, the Mainland coast along the Gulf of Suez and the Mainland coast south of that along the Red Sea. Each of these areas either vary somewhat, or extensively from the others. Obviously the biggest differences are between the Mediterranean coast and all of the other regions that connect with the Red Sea. Some of these regions attract extensive tourism, while others are almost void of tourists. Some attract very specific tourists, while others are more generalized.

The North Coast from Libya, East through to Sinai

In reality, the various regions are looked upon somewhat differently. For example, on the Egyptian mainland coast along the Mediterranean, there is a vast difference between the area from Alexandria over to Port Said from the region west of Alexandria. East of Alexandria is very populous along much of the Delta and not suitable for beaches until one reaches the northern Sinai. The beaches at Alexandria cater almost exclusively to Egyptians, with the exception of some specific resorts, who either have their own villas or apartments, or who stay in hotel facilities. In fact, probably most Egyptians come to Alexandria not for a beach vacation as such, but to escape the heat of Cairo.

 West of Alexandria along the coast, thinning out as one proceeds further west, but extending almost to the Libyan border, are resorts that differ from the beach hotels and facilities to the east. These are frequently compounds, as opposed to real villages, some of which are very exclusive and have only recently been built. The main point is that, while indeed some foreign tourists can be found in this region, they are very few in number, other than tourists visiting Alexandria for more classical reasons. This, of course, may change over time.

The region west of Alexandria has been called "underdeveloped". That too is rapidly changing, as new resorts are popping up all along the shoreline, particularly just west of Alexandria. One of the intriguing aspects of the Mediterranean coast beach resorts is that there is a certain amount of experimentation with various types of beaches. For example, around Marina, one of Egypt's most exclusive northern beach resort areas, specific beaches have been set aside for women, who wish to enjoy the beach without interference from male eyes, and youth, where the atmosphere is a little more lively and geared to their pleasures.

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Desert Safaris in Egypt

Deserts cover about 20% of the Earths land surface, and are often thought of as unforgiving environments where it is difficult to survive even a day or two. While you do need special preparations to stay in the desert, its actually quite possible to do it even fun! Deserts provide the perfect atmosphere for some really interesting activities you wont be able to do anywhere else in the world. Hot deserts are, perhaps, more versatile in the kinds of activities that you can do, and the largest hot desert, the Sahara, has many points where you can take part in these activities.


Desert safari is a term that covers the general excursion you would take into the desert. Of course, as many are inexperienced when it comes to the desert, it is always necessary to be accompanied by a guide who has a great deal of training and experience in desert situations.

When you set off on your desert safari, youll have a chance to experience the true desert, and understand the beauty and appeal of it to the locals.


When in Egypt, its a great idea to go on a desert safari. These alternative style trips are an absolute adventure that you must experience. While hot deserts the world over can offer great experiences, in Egypt you can have these experiences and have a blast while doing it! Often traveling into the desert with Bedouin guides, youll have a chance to see their interaction with the environment, and enjoy it the way locals would with song and dance around a campfire at night! While camping out in the desert, youll experience one of the clearest night skies around as you sit in front of the camp fire and drink traditional Bedouin tea. At your Bedouin camp, you might even enjoy a traditional dinner of lamb, slow cooked in the heat under the sand. While in the Egyptian desert, youll probably even be lucky enough to see a fox or two during your stay!

Besides camping, the other desert safari activities you can enjoy in Egypt are sand boarding and dune bashing. Sand boarding is a slightly more forgiving version of snowboarding, where you climb up a sand dune with your board, and slide down either standing (for the adventurous with a good sense of balance) or sitting (for those who are more cautious, and would like to enjoy the same experience, but a little close to the ground); its a fun activity, and one that you can only enjoy in the desert, as there are no man made sand dunes that would suit the activity. You can enjoy this on a simple day trip outside of the desert at the Qataneya Dunes, or while spending a weekend in the Western Desert.

Dune bashing is an activity where youre riding in a 4x4 vehicle that climbs up the dunes, drives along its crest, and sometimes crosses to the other side of the dune. Its quite exciting, and you have to hold tight as youre actually leaning sideways during the ride along the crest of the dune.

While out in the Egypts Western Desert, you can also arrange a trip to see one of the 5 oases, and have your very own mirage experience in the Bahariya Oasis, except youll be seeing actual palm trees around a small spring of water, or even enjoy a dip in some mineral water! The Western Desert even has some areas like the Great Sand Sea that are ideal for sand boarding.

Desert safaris are great adventures, and youre guaranteed to feel the adrenaline rush while driving sideways at the crest of a dune, or sliding down the dune, and youll feel the childlike wonder when you spot indigenous wildlife in the area. On your next trip to Egypt, make sure you set aside a weekend for a trip to the desert its something youll never forget!

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Ancient Egypt Antiquities

Ancient Egyptian history is a long and complex one with more than 3,000 years of details. Throughout these 3,000 years ancient Egyptians lived under about 30 dynasties,     with each dynasty being based on the lineage of the kings/pharaohs.
Throughout all these years, the country experienced  many changes, some being very drastic.
 The land began as two (Upper & Lower Egypt), with King Menes uniting the two regions at around 3,500 B.C.E. From this point on,
the pharaohs were referred to as the rulers of the Two Kingdoms. In art and on tombs,
 the pharaohs were now depicted with the crowns of Upper and Lower Egypt combined to become one crown, known as the  pschent.

The reason for the difference in names refers to the flow of the life-giving Nile River. Being that the Nile flows from East Africas highlands down to the Mediterranean Sea, Southern Egypt became known as Upper Egypt, and Northern Egypt became known as Lower Egypt. As these two regions developed independently of each other, the differences between them were evident after the unification of the country, though customs from both regions were combined.

Ancient Egypt also saw the rise of a complex polytheistic religion, which included many gods and the controversy and conflict of one pharaoh (Akhenaton) even trying to convert the country to monotheism. With his failure, the country reverted back to polytheism during the reign of his son.


Relying heavily on the river Nile, the ancient Egyptian civilization expanded and prospered. Trading also allowed the ancient Egyptians to gain much wealth. With this wealth, the royal tombs began to become more elaborate, with the building of pyramids beginning from 2630 B.C.E. With the rise of the Greek and Roman civilizations, the ancient Egyptians soon came under the rule of foreign leaders. With the rule of the Romans came the introduction of Christianity, leading to the inevitable decline of the ancient Egyptian religion and society.

For many, the scope of Egypt's history is difficult to comprehend. Its history covers some five thousand years, and encompasses the origin of civilization, the rise of the Greeks and Romans, the establishment of the Jewish, Christian and Islamic religions, the colonial era when first France and then the English ruled the country, and finally, a return to independence. Egypt has played an important role through all of these eras, and today one can find monuments that evidence Egypt's role in most of the world's historic events, from the beginning of mankind until the present. More and more, we are not only learning about the history of mankind in Egypt, but also about his prehistory, the way that he migrated and finally began to organize communities that eventually lead to a civilized world.

In Egypt, we find the earliest detailed records of warfare recorded thousands of years ago, but we also find the cemeteries and monuments of the world's last global war, World War II. In Egypt, we find some of the first written words of civilization, but we also find great thinkers and writers through the Greek period, into the Christian era, the archaic Islamic period and even modern Nobel Literates. In Egypt, we find ancient pyramids and giant columns supporting massive temples, but we can now find these architectural elements spread throughout the world. Here, along with the first monumental buildings made of stone, we also find the first paved roads, the first wines and beer and even the first peace treaties between organized governments. However, we also find the world's first scientists, doctors, architects and mathematicians.

Egypt is our window to humanity's distant past and in understanding its history, we find both mankind's greatest glories and achievements, as well as his often repeated mistakes. We may follow along with the building of empires, only to see them collapse again and again. We find great men and rulers of renowned, but we often also see their ultimate demise.

And here, we learn about religion, its evolution and, as the world grows older, its replacement with newer religions. Yet, the ancient Egyptian religion has never really completely died out. Even today, many Egyptians continue customs, including some aspects of religion, held over from thousands of years ago. In fact, throughout the world, aspects of the ancient Egyptian religion, particularly funerary, continue to effect our modern lives.

We hope you enjoy our efforts to bring Egyptian history and its monuments to your fingertips. Here one will find just about every aspect of ancient Egypt, from culture to people, from monuments to knowledge. Take the time to understand ancient Egyptian history, and we feel certain you will find, within this knowledge, a better understanding of this modern world in which we live.

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Holidays in Egypt

Taking your holidays in Egypt is the best value for money and you get a chance to experience and see 7,000 years of history and civilization.

Taking a moment to realize that Egypt is more than 7,000 years old and was home to one of the best documented civilizations of the world, is breath taking on its own. Across the centuries and millennia there have been numerous cultures and peoples who have lived in Egypt and ruled it too. The result of that nowadays, are the leftover monuments and memoirs representing cultural diversity, human life and survival through it all.

Egypt’s location, overlooking the Mediterranean Sea from its northern tip and the Red Sea from its eastern side, with the river Nile splitting it down the middle, gives Egypt a striking and strategic position. You can say it is in the center of the world and is the cradle of civilization. This location ensures Egypt’s wide selection and variety of beaches, resorts and cities by the river, making your holiday in Egypt an unforgettable one.

Starting by telling you about Egypt’s capital and the biggest city in Africa only makes sense. Cairo is home to 17 million people and attracts professionals, families and young vibrant students from all over the world looking to learn Arabic or immerse themselves in Egyptian culture. This multicultural city, spread over on either side of the Nile, is home to Pharaonic, Islamic and Coptic monuments as well as statues and streets from the turn of the century and the Ottoman Empire. Downtown and Zamalek districts are famous for their beautiful European style architecture, giving downtown Cairo the title of “Paris along the Nile”. Cairo is a vibrant city that never sleeps full of restaurants, cafes and food stands. Walking through the crowds of people, cars and microbuses and embracing the randomness of the city is one of the most interesting experiences some come to find. Outside of Cairo, people also enjoy taking a daytrip to Fayoum to see the oasis and the beautiful lakes along with waterfalls and natural scenery.

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8million tourists visited Egypt in 2012

Tourism minister Hisham Zazou stated that he is concerned about the negative impact of political events on cultural tourismAround 8.1 million tourists visited Egypt over the past ten months, injecting some $10 billion into the economy, announced Minister of Tourism Hisham Zazou on Monday during the annual conference of the Scandinavian embassies in Cairo.

Zazou added that around 96 million overnight stays by tourists in Egyptian hotels were recorded in the same period.

Malin Karre, the Swedish ambassador in Cairo, said that Scandinavian tourists consider Egypt to be one of the best beach tourism destinations worldwide.

The Egyptian minister confirmed that beach tourism in the country has bottomed out, while cultural tourism in Luxor and Aswan is suffering due to the negative impacts of political events.

He hopes that the number of tourists will reach 11 million by the end of 2012.

Zazou referred to the tourism as a vital pillar of the national economy, representing 11.3 per cent of Egypt's gross domestic product and 17 per cent of its foreign currency reserves, in addition to 12.6 per cent of the total manpower of the state, with four million people directly employed in the industry.

Recently, Egypt's Coalition to Support Tourism (CST) has that said it will file a case against top Egyptian officials for inaction in response to statements by a Salafist sheikh who called for the demolition of the Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx.

In a television interview on Saturday night, radical Salafist scholar Morgan El-Gohary called for the destruction of Egypt's monuments as they "were once worshipped and could be worshipped again."

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